


Not just the siren

by frankenjoly



Series: This isn't the end [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Canon Asexual Character, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Mainly Psyren but also Maya and Ava's relationship it's important, Post-Borderlands 3 (Video Game), Post-Canon Fix-It, Pre-Relationship, You're gonna take "Maya is canon ace" from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22068268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankenjoly/pseuds/frankenjoly
Summary: I know Gearbox has made a decission, but I've decided to ignore it because Reasons. BL3 spoilers ahead, so pls be careful.Anyway, I've been considering a bunch of ideas for this, and stuck with the most "canon" I guess? Also bcs there's a bunch of that bunch I wanna develop in RP. Aaand this may not be my best thing, but I wanted to do stuff like that both here and in RP bcs Reasons. Expect sappy stuff and song references.
Relationships: Ava & Maya (Borderlands), Krieg/Maya (Borderlands)
Series: This isn't the end [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814425
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	1. My thoughts will echo your name

When Maya opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a plain ceiling. Nothing unusual, if it wasn’t for her own feeling of dizziness and the fact that she didn’t knew how she had ended up in the bed she was currently laying on. Actually, the last thing the siren could actually remember was… the Vault, with the new additions to the Crimson Raiders, Ava… and the Calypsos. 

“Oh. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Even though she was feeling incredibly weak, apart from dizzy, Maya put all her effort in getting out of the bed and standing up. _‘Please, let her be okay, let her be okay, let her be okay…’_ Repeated like a mantra, as she started running. No matter if she ended up passing out because of exhaustion, finding her was a priority. Beyond all mystical stuff, all siren stuff, it was the main reason; since she had took Ava under her wing, she had developed a big affection for the little rascal. She wasn’t just her apprentice by that point, she loved her like a daughter. And if something had happened to her, Maya would never be able to forgive herself. No matter if she was indeed so willing to die for that girl that she would had literally done it, no. It wouldn’t even matter if it hadn’t worked and she wasn't safe and sound.

There were three things that Maya wanted above anything else since she had taken part in the war: a reunion with all her friends after those five years, the opportunity to tell Krieg everything she hadn’t told him before going to Athenas, and Ava’s well being. And when a difficult moment had come, she decided to put two of them at risk for the third. But the almost sacrifice (without the ‘almost’ if it had happened) would be meaningless if the girl wasn't fine.

“Ava? Where are you? Are you okay? AVA!” She didn’t get very far, as reaching for the door and going out was a bigger effort than she had expected at first. As much as Maya forced herself to continue, determined to run until her body refused to respond… it was just a matter of minutes.

The fall didn’t hurt as much as her own feeling of helplessness and not getting and answer. ‘ _Come on, get up. Find her._ ’ Staying on the hallway wasn’t an option. Come on, she was capable of more! She was a damn siren!

Or not.

For the first time in the several minutes she had been awake, Maya finally got to take a look at her left arm, now completely bare. Trying not to panic even more, she lowered her gaze to her feet, finding the same result while looking at the left one. The intricate pattern of blue tattoos, which had been there since she had memory, was now gone.

“This can’t be happening…” Said, as tears started running from her eyes and exhaustion finally came for her. But her last thought before passing out, and the reason she was crying, was not a mourning for her lost powers, but a sign of how worried she was about Ava. What if something had happened to her, and she wasn’t not only weak but also powerless? How could she help like that?

* * *

The time had finally come.

After a lot time of imposed isolation, after a lot of learning and a big journey, Krieg was ready. Ready to go back to Sanctuary. Ready to find Maya. Ready to see her. And, most importantly, ready to talk to her, to say the things he couldn’t say when she said goodbye before going to Athenas.

The things he’d been wanting to say since they met, became part of the same Vault Hunter group and developed a friendship.

“Okay, we’re not screwing this up.” Said, staring right into his reflection in the dusty mirror he had found not so long ago. “PRETTY LADY!” Answered… well, himself. “Yeah, yeah. This is important, this is what we’ve been preparing for years. So, total focus.” And with that, he nodded and went to finish packing up. Not like he had a lot of stuff, actually. An ECHO device, a bunch of clothes and weapons, his buzz-axe and food… that was all, plus a couple of books he had found and took care of, that would make a good gift for her. Maya probably had better ones, newer ones even. And a lot of them, a big big lot of them. But knowing her, and he did, there was never enough books.

Some things never changed, and Krieg could bet that was one of them.

There had never been a single day he hadn’t thought about her, and that thoughts had led him, allowing him to keep focused on the task of learning how to get more self-control and properly talk more than gibberish and screams about meat and blood. It came in handy to intimidate enemies in fights, but definitely not to talk about feelings.

“STILL HERE!” And then there came a soft sigh, followed by a hopeful smile. “Still here. Waiting for her to come back. She promised. And she would never break a promise.”

Krieg stared again at his reflection for a few minutes more, before putting the mask on, getting all his stuff and finally exiting the cave. Maybe he’d come back again, but things were going to be very different if he ever did. To give an insight of his learning process, to show the words and scribbles in the walls, to find a quiet place to say everything if everywhere else failed. But coming back for staying? Oh, no.

Things would have to go really, really bad for doing that, for isolating himself again. And Krieg didn’t want to consider the possibilities that could lead to that. Because all of them meant not finding her… or worse options.

He wasn’t coming back, at least not alone and not for long. Period.

* * *

The next time Maya woke up, she wasn’t feeling that bad… at least physically. But she could probably use a few more hours of sleep. Or better, damn answers. Starting for what happened to Ava.

“Congrats, girls, you’re heroes! Also we won.” Tannis entered the room, frowning and ready to scold her and… Wait, why was Lilith in the bed beside her? “And I hope you had a nice power nap, ‘cause I’m gonna hang you to the ceiling from your thumbs! Everyone was damn worried! Me too! And they kept coming and coming and coming asking for you! It was draining!”

“What the…” Started Maya.

“... fuck.” Finished Lilith.

“You,” And Tannis pointed at Maya with a tattooed arm (wait, a tattooed arm with siren patterns?) “Almost don’t get out of that Vault. That little girl must be so special. And you…” Now she turned to Lilith. “Almost become a burn in the surface of Elpis. Finding you was an odyssey. And taking care of you two! Ugh, whenever Zed dares to come back I better get a BIG retribution for doing his job.” A brief smile appeared in her face, as she considered the options, but then became serious again.

Judging from her expression, the scientist could go on and on all day, scolding them as if they were little kids and not two adult women who had put themselves at risk, yes, but knowingly and willingly. And she not only could, but would, if it wasn’t for a sudden interruption that entered the infirmary like a blue and gray tornado that made Maya smile instantly. By the way Tannis had talked about her, she was starting to assume Ava was indeed okay, but it wasn't until she saw it when her fears dissipated.

“Is she finally awake? Can I see her? Can I talk to her?” Ava looked ad Tannis, then at Maya and Lilith, now focused on her. “You know what, I’m gonna.” Announced solemnly, and basically jumped into Maya’s bed hugging her, who did her best to catch the girl, at the same time Tannis let out a tired sigh and went to the door.

“I’m getting a sandwich. Anyway, you two can get out of here whenever you want to now. Just don’t make big efforts and rest and all that stuff.”

“Good.” Said Maya, still smiling. Lilith was already out of the bed. “I’m starving too. And we need to have a chat.” That was when she looked down at Ava, finding the tattoos on her left arm. The same one she had seen in her own for years. Her smile became even wider, accompanied by a relieved sigh. “Siren talk.”


	2. Until I see you again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First time I update a fic so fast, but when I finally dared to post the 1st chapter this one was already half written, so it's kinda cheating.

“I’m so glad they’re yours now.” Were Maya’s first words when they gathered around a bunch of pizzas.

“Aren’t you upset?” Was Ava’s immediate answer, as they both looked down at the tattoos.

“Well…” Kind of a difficult question, as there was a lot to consider. “Depends on what you actually mean, honestly.” Said before anything else, taking a big bit of her pizza slice and allowing herself to eating while deciding the exact words to answer with. “I'm upset it had to be that way, that for sure. As sappy or dumb as it's gonna sound, I was hoping to find a way to pass those powers to you, maybe make some kind of ceremony or something similar, give you a fancy speech about how much you've learned and how proud of you I am… you know.”

“Instead, you got to fight a rat boy and a nearly death experience…” Surprisingly, that made them both laugh.

“Oh, c’mon, I wouldn’t call that a fight. It was just an attempt to make him hostage.” Maya shrugged. “A very poor one, judging for how it ended.”

“About that…” Ava looked down, her laughter gone. Instead, she looked completely upset. “It was my fault. I should have listened when you said we had to go…” By the look on her face, it was more than clear she had thought a lot about it when Maya was unconscious. “When we came back here… We feared… I feared… They said there was a chance you may not recover. You could have died and it would have been my fault!”

Tears started running down Ava’s face, and Maya raised her hands to wipe them, shaking her head softly. ‘ _She’s still so young…_ ’ As rough and kick-ass as she tried to be, and actually was, she was still a kid. And as reckless as she had been back in the Vault, Maya didn’t want to put such a big blame on her.

“Hey, did you knew that asshole actually had powers of his own and didn’t tell me?” When Ava shook her head, she answered with a soft nod. “Then is not your fault. Though you could have actually listened to me, that’s true.”

“But…”

“Listen to me, okay?” Maya now took her apprentice’s, her daughter’s hands on her own. “Not gonna lie, you still have a lot to learn. About being a siren, about fighting and about patience. But believe me when I say I’m proud those powers are now yours, Ava. You’re gonna be extraordinary and I couldn’t be more proud even if I tried.” She smiled, happy and as proudly as she just claimed to be, and Ava smiled too.

“Thanks, for everything.” She squeezed her hands tenderly. “And what are you gonna do now?” Asked, now less distressed and genuinely curious.

“Well…” Maya had actually thought about that a lot during the last five years. “I wanna keep making things easier for the new generations of sirens, learn more and… just live. Spend time with the people I care about. Also I guess I have to check on Athenas regularly, there’s still monks I don’t completely trust. But first of all, I’m gonna get a couple of guns and have a trip around Pandora.”

“For what?”

“Remember that promise I told you about? It’s time to completely fulfill it.”

* * *

A few days later, Krieg arrived in Sanctuary, physically tired but hopeful.

‘ _Finally… home._ ’ Thought, smiling wide, as he runned to aboard the ship. It was true, after all nowhere had made him feel like that, not that he remembered at least. And even though that ship wasn’t like the city he had knew, it wasn’t the place, but mostly the people. 

Of course, not everyone had been completely welcoming when the group of six arrived back then, and he couldn’t completely blame them. His judgement may seemed clouded for how he used to behave (and in some ways still did, old habits tended to die hard), but Krieg definitely knew a part of the citizens were scared of him. He even noticed some glances while he made its way to Sanctuary’s inside, as if people were expecting him to suddenly scream. Maybe he was, but if those years of training had the decency to pay off, it wouldn’t be about murder rampages.

“Anyone seen Maya?” Asked, to almost everyone he encountered, visibly excited, but somehow managing to keep it cool. “Pretty lady!” Said, as he gestured frantically. “It’s me! It’s important!”

“Look who finally shows up.” Tannis, unaware of Maya’s departure not even twenty-four hours ago, seemed both puzzled and amused. “Your lil pal is been complaining about not finding her old team for months. Her room’s right there.” And as soon as she pointed the direction, he started running again, not even questioning about the tattoos on her arm.

When he finally arrived, Krieg even took the time needed to catch his breath and be sure he was going to make the best impression possible. New clothes? Checked, from the boots to the leather vest. Mask adjusted? Checked. Gifts for Maya? Books and a flower he found on his way there and looked beautiful, checked.

‘ _You can do this._ ’

And with that, he knocked.

* * *

“Geez!” Answered an exhausted voice as the door opened, and Krieg stood face to face with a blue-haired kid. A blue-haired kid with Maya’s tattoos. “She’s gone, stop coming for nonsense! And I’m not gonna let you in, she let me in charge of her stuff.” Ava had already lost the count of people who had already knocked asking for Maya’s recovery when she wasn’t even there, and was ready to yell at him, when something in her head clicked. “Wait, it’s you, right? Krieg?”

He didn’t answer immediately, but started breathing heavily. Five years had passed, but still he knew that pattern by heart. They were definitely Maya’s, or had been, at least.

“KNIVES TROUGH MY HEART!” Yelled, at the top of his lungs, before been able to hold himself back and ask. “What do you mean she’s gone?” Even when the mask still hid everything but his eye, distress was easy to see in him.

“I mean she’s gonna search even under every damn rock in Pandora for something that leads to you.” Ava answered, deadpan, and clearly not scared by him freaking out. “Which is kinda funny now you’re here. One day earlier and she’d still be here.”

“Then Maya is fine? Do you know when she’s coming back?” Once again, no questions about the tattoos, he didn’t need an immediate answer if Ava having them didn’t mean something had happened to his friend.

“Honestly?” She shrugged. “No idea. When she needs something, or one of us move and calls her to say you’re actually here. If you gimme a sec I can...” That made him instantly relax, and step ahead awkwardly. She reacted by coming closer herself, grabbing him from the vest and making him bow down to her level.

“What…?”

“Nope. No entering, no exceptions.” When he grunted as an answer, the girl grunted back. “Not very gentlemanly of you, wanting to go inside a lady’s room when she’s not here to give permission.” Said, in her best formal scolding tone. “And now we’re here, what are your intentions with Maya anyway? ‘Cause she’s been through hell lately and if you make her feel bad, even in the slightest, you’re bubbled, and not in the fun way. Got it?”

Krieg’s expression shifted from relieved to worried in a matter of seconds. Okay, he was dealing with a kid that couldn’t be more than thirteen, but that kid that couldn’t be more than thirteen had damn siren powers. He had seen them in action enough not to want to be targeted with them in the way she probably had in mind at the moment. And last but not least, it was quite clear Maya would value her opinion, so better not to screw things up with Ava. So he took a deep breath and…

“What the hell is going on here?”

Both Ava and Krieg turned their heads to the newcomer, and met a very tired Maya covered in scratches, who was staring directly at them as if she had seen a ghost.

Ava let him go and smiled innocently. Krieg placed carefully the books and flower in the floor with trembling hands. And, as tears started running from her face, Maya run to him without thinking twice.


	3. These are the words I held back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point (and from the start, who am I trying to fool) this is very self indulgent, but that's like, 99% of my motivation to write fics so... here it goes. Hope y'all like it.

Just a few seconds later, Maya and Krieg fused in a tight embrace, as she jumped into his arms at first sight, latching onto him with both arms and legs. And he got ready to catch her, doing his best not to brush her scratches.

Heads resting on the other’s shoulder, they stayed like that for a few minutes, and would have been more if Ava hadn’t cleared her throat.

“Hey, you didn’t let him answer me.” Said, with an amused grin, making the two of them look at her instantly. Maya even giggled, going back to the ground but keeping her hand on Krieg’s arm.

“And who gave you permission to interrogate him, young miss?” Though she was clearly putting an effort to sound authoritative, the grin on her face, similar to Ava’s, showed the truth. “Anyway, I’m the one who’s supposed to scare off your crushes. In a few years. If you’re interested in that stuff.”

“Crushes, huh?” Was the answer that came not only from Ava, but from Krieg too, both speaking almost in unison. 

“Well…” The next giggle that came out of Maya’s mouth sounded more like a nervous laugh, but she handled it with dignity. “So, no ‘are you okay, Maya?’ or ‘were you successful, Maya?’ for me?”

“If you’re here, it means you weren’t.” Ava’s grin went wider. “But now you’re here and he’s too, you are. Congrats! Anyway, I’m gonna clean Hermes stuff. Maybe meditate after that.” And before anyone could reply to that, she disappeared into her room next door.

* * *

“She definitely wanted to leave us alone.” Even someone as oblivious as Maya could be sometimes, that had been crystal clear. “That or she has developed a love for meditation while I was unconscious.”

They had moved to Maya’s room, restrictions now overridden, and sat on the small couch after she removed a bunch of books from there, placing them over the table and putting the flower delicately on top of them (at least temporarily). Said table had already another three piles of books, journals and not completely discarded notes written while reading and re-reading those books.

“But don’t worry, Ava will ask the question again, I can bet.” Needless to say, she wanted to know the answer too, just wouldn’t tell him directly… not yet, at least. At that point, they had started catching up, but there still was a lot of stuff none of the two had brought up yet.

“Hope she’ll ask less… menacingly?” Suggested him, making both of them chuckle, though his expression was still hidden by the mask.

“Afraid of a kid?” Was the answer, eyebrows raised with a half amused half understanding grin.

“You’re the one teaching that kid. LITTLE LADY THOUGH!” Krieg shrugged. “It’d be dumb not to have at least a decent amount of respect. BLUE BUBBLE! Yeah. Phaselock looks way better when it’s an enemy and not you the one inside it.”

“Yeah, right? I can…” After a brief stutter, she continued. “I mean, it can be used to move things. Inanimate objects don’t get damage, or complain.”

“Wow.”

Then silence hung in the air for some minutes, her going through a little inside battle where pride for the compliment and a bit of sadness were about to determine her current mood, and him thinking very deeply about asking or not the question that first had came into his mind while hearing her last words. _‘Don’t wanna rub salt in the wound, if there’s one. Even if it’s maybe just a scratch._ ’

“You miss it, right?” It had taken a few minutes more and a soft sigh, but he finally asked. Maya looked down and sighed too, then stared back at him while she chose her words carefully.

“I do.” It was a bit of nostalgia in her voice, and shame as well. “I mean, I’m proud of Ava and glad the powers are hers now, but… Yeah, I miss it anyway. Specially when I miscalculated and almost got my ass kicked before coming back here.” She laughed for a second and then continued. “Also, being a siren has always been a big part of what defined me. Always been Maya the siren. And now it’s just Maya, which is kinda scary ‘cause I’ve never been just Maya. But it’s also… liberating? In some way.”

“Hey, you’re not the only one who has changed.” After a few seconds of hesitation, Krieg finally removed his mask and smiled at her, a bit awkwardly. “I’ve… been wanting to talk to you like this since we first met.” And it still seemed like a dream, a very pleasant one, the kind of dream that would make him want to yell at whoever tried to wake him up. “Been practising.”

That wasn’t the first time Maya had seen his face, but still she couldn’t help but stare, showing the same expression she would probably had being a teenager with a crush. Not a teenager now, for sure, but being raised by monks had made her miss a lot of things for years, and not because there was a lack of interest. Well, there was indeed a stuff she had been missing on purpose even the last seven years, after finding out there was a lack of interest… But definitely that didn’t apply to romance, and it had taken a bit of time to find out, but…

“I’m glad you did.” Now she had a bit more of knowledge, and had started to notice Krieg looked at her the same way, which obviously he had doing, and been always doing. Because he was, right? She just… wasn’t sure, thinking she saw what she wanted to see and not what was always there. That was what had stopped her seven, six, five years ago. Fear. “There’s a lot to talk about. More, I mean.” But maybe it was finally time to take a step, take the risk. Not a teenager now, and definitely not a crush either. It was undoubtedly something more.

“Yeah...” That could be his chance to finally tell her, it had to be, wasn't it? If Krieg was getting it right, if he was reading Maya’s smile right, plus her reaction to his and Ava’s words… Maybe he had a chance. Maybe he had it since the beginning and didn’t notice. “I was thinking that… Huh…” What was the worst thing that could happen? She was his friend, she sure wouldn’t mock him. And after seven years, it was about time he gathered the courage and spoke up, now he even could express himself more fluently. “Maybe we could continue the talk with a drink…? Or dinner? MEAT!!! Yeah, meat, or pizza, or whatever. Whatever you want.”

The words came from his mouth in a rush, only stopping by stutters, Krieg silently praying he wasn’t about to make a fool of himself. Maya of course listened closely, staring at him with amazement and confusion, as her mind processed what she was hearing. Then, after a few seconds and a few blinks, she smiled.

“You know…” Started, trying to keep her facade of a calmed and composed woman, a variation of what she showed in Athenas, instead of letting herself jump in excitement like a kid would do. “There's a lot of stuff I wanna properly do now I have… More freedom? Well, that's debatable, as the abbey has probably not moved, and the galaxy isn't gonna be more calmed all of a sudden, and I still have a girl to take care of…” At Maya prayed Ava hadn't tried to listen to the conversation, given the fact that she could remind her how ridiculous she may sound. “The thing is, now there's a possibility that less people come trying to annoy me while I'm just trying to live my life. And between the lot of stuff I wanna properly do… What I mean is… Yes. Yes, Krieg, yes.”

“So…” He was still nervous, but her answer made him grin as he just had been given a godly blessing. “PRETTY LADY!!! JUST!!! SAID YES!! I guess it's a date, then.”

“A date?” Her smile made way for the same kind of nervous laugh she had let out earlier with Ava there. “I mean, it's perfect, is just… There's a couple of things I need to say. Or remind.”

“Go on. Don't worry. LISTENING ALWAYS!”

“If this goes good, and I've hoping it goes for a long time… As I've basically adopted Ava, she kinda comes in the package, until she grows up and is ready to go on her own at least.”

To phrase it even more clearly…

“If Maya doesn't come from that date being the happiest person in the damn galaxy, you and I are gonna have a chat!” Ava's head popped up from the door, staring menacingly at Krieg. Then she turned to Maya, who was about to protest. “I know, I know, privacy. But this was important, and it's not like I was gonna caught you two in the middle of… Doing… You know what.” A with that, she was gone again.

“Damn…” Maya's cheeks turned a bit red (because of embarrassment and not anger). At least it was an introduction to what she planned to say, though not the better. “Now, this is probably gonna be just a reminder but… With me, sex it's not happening. It could, but it’s not my thing at all. No one appeals to me in that way, though it has nothing to do with, you know, romantic feelings.”

As an explanation, it was decent. Kind of rusty, but decent. But yes, for him it was just a reminder. One he didn’t actually need, but listened to again to make things easier for both of them.

“I know.” Krieg shrugged, then smiled again. “It's fine. More than fine, actually.”

“Then… Are you free tomorrow night?” She looked not only relieved, but also happy.

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This goes here so I don't post "spoilers" for my own thing: 
> 
> Yeah, I tend to write ace characters with 0 interest in having sex (someday I'll have at least one that doesn't mind) bcs that's how I roll. Also my headcanon is Krieg is ace/demi too (and even if he wasn't the outcome here would be the same, c'mon).


End file.
